Stargate: First Reconnaissance
by Light Onthemayo
Summary: Follow along in the seemingly dull and rather screwy adventures of Stargate Command's First Reconnaissance team SG-14, a group of people who's only note in mission logs is simply being there first...
1. Stranded

Chapter One: Stranded

...

The kawoosh of an activated Stargate and the slosh were the first sounds to interrupt the morning on the planet Stargate Command had labeled as "P3C-529". Dew still covered the grass and vines crawling about the Stargate's platform. Mist filled the air in the distance as the travelers stepped through the event horizon. To Major Magdalena Jansingh, it felt like a fresh, spring day.

Which might have prompted the sneeze from the person directly behind her. Annoyed by the break in the calm atmosphere, she remarked over her shoulder, "Allergies?"

"Pollen and cats, ma'am," was the response.

She looked over her shoulder at Captain David McBay. "Must be cats," she joked. "I doubt if something like _pollen_ exists on an alien planet."

"Got it, Major," McBay replied, rubbing his eyes. "It'll clear up in a bit."

"Okay, folks," she said as she stepped aside to wave her team past. "Get Fred unpacked; we've got ten hours of work to get done and seven hours to do it."

McBay, with the F.R.E.D. controls in hand, directed the transport towards the vine-ridden Dial Home Device. First Lieutenant Oliver Brandt was close behind, digital camera in hand and already snapping pieces of the environment. Jansingh could hardly blame him; the forest around them was quite picturesque, from the large patches of radiant flowers dotting the ground to the two small moons hovering over the tree line far above. Of course, the fact that he was the team's biologist and environmental surveyor took away from the seeming abandon with which he photographed the environment.

She glanced back at the Stargate when she saw the last member of her team lingering behind. Doctor Jennifer Choi, their tag-along geologist and newbie, stood just outside the Stargate's event horizon with a breathless, deer-in-headlights look. The doctor jumped in surprise when the Stargate cut off. She spun to find more forest sitting where a pool of water and an underground Air Force base had been.

"Doctor Jennifer Choi, Ph.D.," Jansingh said in a lilting tone, parodying how the woman had introduced herself an hour ago. Choi turned back to the rest of the group, and Jansingh beckoned her off the platform with a hand. "You don't want to stand there if someone else comes calling."

"Why not?" she asked.

"You know that 'ka-_woosh_' thing you saw when they turned the 'Gate on?" McBay said as he hefted a bag onto the ground. He paused his work to get a slow nod out of Choi. "You stand in front of that, the only thing left of you will be your smoking boots."

Choi frowned at him. "Thank you for that imagery, Captain McBay," she replied in a heated tone. "Perhaps you can demonstrate your fifty-one uses of see-four to me later. It must be a blast."

"Both of you, get working," Jansingh snapped as she removed her helmet. Spotting some of her chestnut-brown hair just on the edge of her vision, she brushed her bangs to one side while lamenting not getting a haircut before the mission. Seeing those strands of hair hovering above her brow was going to drive her crazy for the next seven hours.

"I don't _believe_ this."

Of course, her newly assembled team might do the same in the space of a few minutes. Jansingh sighed and glanced over at the F.R.E.D. "What is it, Doctor?"

Choi looked up from examining one of the nylon packs strapped to the top of the transport. "I requested a specific brand of ground-penetrating radar because I _know_ how to use it," she told Jansingh. She pulled out a large, boxy component to show to the major. "What the _hell_ am I supposed to do with _this_?"

"Target practice?" McBay chimed with a grin on his face. Brandt, standing next to him, exchanged silly looks with him.

Choi glared at McBay for a moment. "Major, I can't do my work if I don't have equipment I can't _use_. I _know_ what I requested; I was _very_ _specific_ when I filled out that stupid requisition form. What kind of jarhead can't get me what I need?"

Jansingh almost lost her fight against laughter for a moment. She put herself in check before responding, "Doctor, if you gave your requisition form to a jarhead, it probably got sent to the wrong base."

"Wh… what the hell does that mean?"

"Jarheads are the Marine Corps," Brandt chuckled.

"Come on, it can't be _that_ bad," McBay said as he circled the F.R.E.D. Choi stepped aside, and he started searching through the bag. "Got something here." He pulled out a sheet of paper folded up between some of the components of the device.

After reading it, he started laughing. "What?" Jansingh asked. "What is it?"

"Oh, uh," McBay replied, clearing his throat. "Note from the supply sergeant, Major. 'Could not identify requested device; allotted substitute. Please make further requests in clear, printed handwriting.'" Brandt snorted before pretending to be taking more pictures. Jansingh put a hand over her mouth in an attempted to appear annoyed while also covering the grin on her face. McBay handed the paper to Choi, still chuckling.

Choi glanced at the paper. "Are you _kidding_ me?!"

"Doc, we have…" Jansingh paused to pull the Velcro cover off her watch. "… six hours and forty-nine minutes to do our job and go home. Do what you can, and SG-11 will be back later to find something more interesting." Choi grumbled to herself as she started yanking components out of the bag.

"Whoa," Brandt uttered before sighting his camera on the wheels of the M.A.L.P. sitting next to a fallen tree. "This is some _incredible_ vine growth for just two hours."

Jansingh unclipped the P90 from the front of her vest to relieve herself of the weight as she stepped over to Brandt's position. She saw what he meant; vines had sprouted at the base of the M.A.L.P. and had the treads almost completely encased. Other strands had reached around the body of the probe, one particularly ambitious strand reaching the top of the grappler arm. Still, not being a botanist gave her a lack of excitement. "Fascinating," she commented.

"Fred's clear, Major," McBay called to her.

"You have bearing on the UAV?" Jansingh called back, unzipping the front of her vest.

"One sec, Major," he answered.

Clattering sounded from the F.R.E.D.'s position, and Jansingh glanced over her shoulder just as Choi kicked a bag across the ground. "Dammit!" she shouted. Then she started picking up the equipment she dropped.

Jansingh cringed as she turned back to Brandt. "Once we get moving, I'd like you to set up camp and put some soup on," she told him.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

"And… see if you can get that crap off the DHD. I'd like some assurance that I can have a warm shower later."

Brandt gave her a thumbs-up. "Got it."

"Found the UAV, ma'am," McBay called back. "About a mile west."

Jansingh walked over to the F.R.E.D. and put her P90 on it. "Choi, make sure you clean up," she said as she removed her vest. "Brandt will keep an eye on you. I don't want either of you wandering from this spot until we get back. Radio us if anything happens." She dropped the vest on the F.R.E.D. and pulled a sling from one of the breast pockets. She sighed as she recalled the extra request that had been made to them. "McBay, we're going to go pick up that stupid UAV. You lead the way."

"Got it, ma'am." McBay picked up the control box and started the F.R.E.D. forward. Jansingh picked up her P90 just before it left her reach. As she fell in behind McBay, she fixed the sling to the weapon and slung it on one shoulder.

They spent a few minutes walking in silence, during which Jansingh had fallen into step beside McBay. The forest floor was not ideal for the transport, and they had to push it over a surfaced tree root once. McBay slowly became agitated with the F.R.E.D. because he had to frequently kick the unit from behind to get it over some small obstacle.

The silence (save the F.R.E.D.'s motor) also started irritating him. Finally, just to start a conversation, he said, "So, I got a question, Major."

"Shoot," Jansingh replied.

"I was reading a few mission reports before we left," he said. "Don't you find it disturbing that the SGC assigned us all to a team that wound up killing itself not too long ago?"

"I read that same report, Captain," she replied. "The last members of SG-14 were programmed by the Goa'uld. Only three of them died, though; as I recall, one of them survived."

"Yeah, probably spending the rest of his days playing with his lips," he replied. He shivered. "That's gotta be scary, having your whole team kill itself off like that."

"Well, from what I understand, Stargate Command wants us working low-priority planets for the time being. They have some new operating policies so no team's exposed to that kind of programming again."

McBay took a moment to think about the situation. "Aren't we… kind of exposed _now_, Major?"

Jansingh smiled to herself. "We're not in range of any enemy outposts right now. The Goa'uld would have to crash here if they wanted to bother us."

"Got it."

She looked at him after a moment of silence. "You're bored, aren't you, Captain?"

"More than I really care to admit, ma'am. Far be it from me to criticize General Hammond's decisions, but I would rather be using my training right now than hunting down an unmanned aerial vehicle with a dead battery."

"We're assigned first recon missions," she pointed out. "We get to set foot on alien worlds before some of the other teams. But we just formed, so it'll probably take some time before we're working on something a little more exciting."

He glanced backwards. "Is that why we're suddenly working with a biologist and a civilian geologist?"

Jansingh shrugged. "More or less."

"Nothing personal, Major, but I wanted to _shoot_ the last civilian I worked with."

"I know; I read your file. Thank you for just breaking his arm."

McBay kicked the back of the F.R.E.D. to get it out of a hole. "I told that idiot not to touch me. If I'd been a dog, his friends would be calling him 'Lefty' by now."

"If you've got something against working with civilians, you might want to look for a different assignment. Stargate Command is supported by civilian scientists and experts. Not to mention that General Hammond takes requests from the President of the United States."

"And I have no problem with that, ma'am. It's just that… well, _why_ would a first recon team need a _geologist_?"

"Mineral survey."

McBay double-checked the handheld he was using to track the downed UVA. "Mineral survey?" he asked as he corrected the F.R.E.D.'s course.

"The SGC's hard-pressed to find naquadah resources in environments without a native population. There's a strong belief that planets without a local population might've been resource planets that neither the Ancients nor the Goa'uld got around to mining."

"Got it, Major," he said while pointing at a pile of metal components ahead of them. He set the control box on the transport and followed Jansingh as she rounded to the downed vehicle.

The UAV was a special model unique to the SGC, so unique that only the maintenance techs and the people who worked at NASA really knew its designation. The wings… well, they _used_ to be box-shaped, but this unit had lost one wing and sported a large dent on the leading edge of the remaining wing. The tail had been smashed flat, and the propeller was embedded in a nearby tree. And, similar to the M.A.L.P., the body had been nearly wrapped in vines.

"This stuff's like weeds on steroids," McBay commented as he pulled his survival knife. But, as he leaned down, he paused. "Uh… do you think it's safe to remove it?"

Jansingh caught his point; having only a handful of off-world assignments before being assigned SG-14, the only thing she knew to count on was that the environment occasionally liked to throw curveballs. Knowing that Brandt had probably attempted to clean off the DHD, she stepped back over to the F.R.E.D. and pulled her radio out of her vest pocket. "Lieutenant Brandt?" she asked it.

The radio buzzed back. "Go ahead, Major," Brandt replied.

"This vine stuff growing all over the place," she said. "Is it safe to cut?"

"Oh, yeah, Major," he answered in a dismissive voice. "Perfectly safe. I'd be careful about standing still for too long, though."

Jansingh exchanged a confused look with McBay before he started cutting the UAV loose. "Why?" she asked.

"All that equipment we left on the ground is nearly covered in it," he answered. "I've got our rations out of reach for now, but we could use a table or something."

"Is there anywhere the vines _don't_ grow?"

"The trees," Brandt replied. "That's where I slung our MREs. But this stuff is just all over the place. It's even growing back on the Stargate. Oh, which reminds me. Permission to take a sample back to base?"

Jansingh frowned. "Is that a good idea?"

"I don't see why not," he answered. "Other than just being a pain, they seem to be completely harmless. I think I can find a way to contain one."

She sighed. "Okay, if you can keep one contained for an hour, you can take it back to base. We'll be back in a moment; we've got the UAV."

"Roger."

"Got it free, ma'am," McBay spoke up as he wiped the severed vines off the remains of the UAV. He stowed the knife and lifted the UAV with Jansingh. "How much of this thing do we need?" he grunted as they moved it to the F.R.E.D.

They dropped it onto the transport. "As much of it as we could find," she huffed. She looked around. "And it looks like this might be it." McBay pointed, and she looked up at the propeller. "Yeah, this was all we could find. Let's get back to the 'Gate."

McBay picked the control box up again and kicked at some of the vines attempting to snare the F.R.E.D.'s tires. After some difficulty turning it around, they set out on their way.

They returned to the Stargate in silence. There, they found Choi stabbing at the ground with her survival knife and Brandt stirring a cooking pot he had set up on the M.A.L.P. The DHD had been cleared of the thick vines, but new growth had just started around the base of the device.

"Doctor Choi?" Jansingh asked as McBay parked the F.R.E.D. next to the DHD.

"What is it, Major?" she replied in an irate tone.

"Well, far be it from me to question a geologist's methodology," the major said with a grin slowly changing to laughter, "but what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find a clean soil sample," she grunted. "These vines are all over the place."

"I told her that she might as well take the sample with the vines," Brandt spoke up. "It's more or less part of the soil anyway."

Choi pointed the knife at him. "Why don't you just shut up and do your job?"

"He _is_ doing his job," Jansingh replied. "Lieutenant, what can you tell us about these vines?"

Brandt looked over his shoulder to frown at her. "Just my observations for now," he answered. "There are only a few plants that respond to tactile contact on Earth, but I've never seen anything actually grow _on_ _command_ just from touching something. Each blade of grass on the ground here is just another seedling for these vines. It looks like anything they come into contact with is a catalyst."

"They're _weeds_," McBay pointed out. "Just like the stuff every American has to kill in their front yard."

"Hmmm… I wouldn't go _that_ far," Brandt said. "Weeds are usually invasive plants, and these vines look like they've rooted in quite well."

"Lieutenant, I call _any_ plant I don't like a weed," McBay countered as he pulled a bag of equipment out of a growth near the DHD.

Choi sighed. "Finally," she said to herself, holding up a small sample container. "One down, eleven to go." She yanked her sample kit out of the vines around it and stood up. She walked away from the Stargate about twenty feet and dropped to her knees at the base of a tree.

"Can't say I much envy her," McBay commented.

Jansingh nodded in agreement. "Check the perimeter and keep an eye on her," she ordered him.

"Yes, ma'am," McBay replied with a salute.

After McBay walked off, Jansingh stepped up behind Brandt. "Where're our MREs, Lieutenant?"

"Just over there, ma'am," he replied. He pointed to a black bag that was hanging from a low tree branch by its handles. "That's how I found out the vines are sensitive to touch; they haven't tried to reach for the bag."

"Any idea what they feed on?" she asked as she walked to the bag.

"I thought they might've been parasitic at first," he told her. "They're coating this log over here. But all these trees look like they're sporting the spring fashion without any difficulties. I'd have to examine how one regularly grows, but I'd have to say that they're just vines that are really good at converting all the nutrients they take in into what they need to grow. Choi's soil samples might reveal more."

The major stopped at the bag and checked her watch. "We're running a little behind," she said before digging into the bag.

"Well, I can't say much about the wildlife around here," Brandt told her. "Other than some frisky grass, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot. If it quiets down, there's something in the treetops that likes to click really fast. Insects, I guess."

Jansingh frowned as she tore open a package. "I hope your final report is a little more informative than that," she said as she dug out the packet of instant coffee.

"Yes, ma'am." She approached him as he ladled a helping of whatever was in the pot into a tin. He handed it to her, and she tore open the coffee packet and dumped the contents into the tin. "Uh… Major, you know there's soup in there, right?"

"I know," she answered. "That's how I like my soup: caffeinated."

Brandt watched her take a sip before she walked away. Curious, he picked up the coffee packet from his already opened MRE and dumped it into the tin of soup he had set aside for himself. He took a sip, but, unlike the major, he found the taste revolting. Instead of dumping it out, he shrugged and blew on the hot substance.

Jansingh took her tin across the clearing and leaned against the edge of the F.R.E.D. "Have you figured out how you intend to take a vine sample back to the base with us?" she asked.

"A few more observations, and I might have an idea," he answered.

"Make sure you don't dedicate yourself to figuring these things out. You're here mostly to determine if anything on this planet is a danger to future survey groups."

"Yes, ma'am."

McBay stepped across the clearing and up behind Brandt. "Twenty meters all around, and nothing interesting to look at besides the Stargate," he complained loud enough for Jansingh to hear.

"That's it?" Brandt asked as he passed McBay a tin of soup.

"That's it," McBay said before taking a sip. He gave the tin a confused, somewhat cross look before shrugging and taking another sip. "I had more fun punching out the cow who sat on the hood of my car."

Brandt raised an eyebrow at him. "You punched a _cow_?"

"On my uncle's farm last year," McBay explained with a nod. "I'd just finished getting my Corvette tuned before the holidays, and I was going to show it off to my cousins up north. My Uncle Marv just lets those stupid cows run around all over and one of them decided to use my hood ornament as a butt scratcher. So I socked it."

"Wait a minute, a Corvette?" Jansingh asked. McBay nodded. "What year?"

"Seventy-six."

The major frowned. "Oh, well… that's cute."

McBay picked up on the condescending tone and replied, "_Anyway_, if there is anything out here, it isn't interested in _us_."

"What happened to the cow?" Brandt asked.

McBay paused. "What cow?" he asked before taking another sip.

"The cow you punched."

"Oh, _her_. Not a thing. _I_, on the other hand, had to go to the emergency room with two broken knuckles. You know all those dead cow skulls you see in the desert? They're a lot harder when those things are alive."

Jansingh shook her head and took another drink. Then she called out to Choi, "Hey, Doc! Soup's on!"

"I'm a little busy right now," Choi called back.

"Come on, Doc," Jansingh told her like a mother gently warning a child. "We won't be eating again for five hours. At least come get an MRE."

"I can survive without it," Choi replied in a hotter tone.

McBay exchanged a humored look with his superior. "Major?" he asked, flexing his free hand.

Jansingh took another sip of her caffeinated creation. "Give it time, Captain," she answered in a calm tone. "Geologists are hard to replace. They don't grow on trees."

"Yes, ma'am," McBay droned in a disappointed tone.

"The UAV found a river not far from the 'Gate before it went down," Brandt pointed out. "We might find something _there_."

"After everyone eats," Jansingh told him. Then she looked over just as Choi stood up and said in a louder voice, "After _everyone_ eats."

"I _heard_ you, Major," Choi replied, walking back to the group. "I had hoped to avoid eating Army rations."

"We're Air Force," McBay pointed out.

"Everyone in the military eats them," Brandt added as he offered her a tin.

Tucking her sample kit under one arm, Choi took the cup substitute and looked inside it. "No spoon?" she asked. Brandt pulled a plastic spoon from his MRE and offered it to her. With it, she tried a sip. She frowned as one does when realizing that a pet has just pooped on the living room carpet. "What _is_ this stuff? It tastes like _grease_."

"Can of condensed soup," Brandt replied. Then he peered back into the pot. "I think."

"What flavor?" Jansingh asked.

"Puke?" Choi suggested as she stirred the contents of her tin.

"I thought it was vegetable," McBay commented.

"Really?" Brandt asked. "I thought it tasted like cream of mushroom."

"What does the can say?" Choi asked.

"Chicken," Brandt replied.

The level of disgust displayed by the team fell into the following order from greatest to least: Choi, McBay, Brandt, and Jansingh (who had not shown any response at all). In spite of Brandt's revelation, the team continued their late lunch in relative silence. Once, after the team had quieted down, the forest sounded with the clicking Brandt had described, which resulted in the lieutenant dashing off in one direction. He returned disappointed.

Using the F.R.E.D. (after having to pull vines off the wheels again), they relocated to the river beyond where the UAV had been found. For about three hours, each member of the team spent the time on their assignments. Doctor Choi took various soil and water samples in peace, which included a sample of the shallow riverbed she obtained from McBay after he had tested the depth with one boot. Lieutenant Brandt explored along the river, finding different plant growth which he took samples of. Jansingh had to discourage him from tasting the berries he had found. He had also located some bird life, but Jansingh was unwilling to let him find a place to cross the river. His scientific solution was to throw stones into the trees to flush out the birds so that he could take a picture. Afterward, he considered how he would take a vine sample back to base while he scrubbed the quick-drying bird droppings off his camera and uniform. Captain McBay scouted the area around the river. He brought back one of the clicking things Brandt wanted after he had stepped on it, revealing that, not only had it been an insect making those sounds, but their entrails gave off a very strong stench when exposed to air. Major Jansingh walked around as she oversaw the group and kept lookout over the forest, P90 relaxed against her side. In between watching her team's antics, she continued to keep track of time. When their three hours were up, she ushered them back to the Stargate. Knowing how much time it had taken them to find the river, she had determined the time they needed to be back at the Stargate for disembarkation.

As they approached, McBay commented, "I like a good nine-to-five job."

"I still wish I could've gotten a better shot of one of those birds," Brandt said as he scrubbed at a stubborn spot on the cuff of his BDU.

"I asked if you wanted me to shoot one for you," McBay reminded him, patting the P90 on his chest. Then he laughed, "Of course, I thought _you_ might shoot one for crapping on you."

"I'm trying to avoid doing anything that'll get me pulled from working off-world, sir."

"Captain, dial us home," Jansingh ordered, waving a hand at the DHD.

"Yes, ma'am," McBay replied, leaving the control box with the F.R.E.D. and striding forward. He pulled a piece of paper out of his left glove and started finding symbols on the DHD.

"Hey, Doc, do you have any more of those sample jars?" Brandt asked as he reached into his back pocket. Choi handed him an empty sample container, and he pulled out a mostly used, flattened roll of duct tape. He ripped a long strip off the roll and completely covered the container except for the lid. As McBay continued slowly dialing the Stargate, he pressed the open container into the ground over a few blades of grass. After jiggling the sample, he dug his fingers in the soil around it and picked the container back up with his fingers holding in whatever was packed into the sample. He carefully slipped the lid on over the bottom and pocketed the sample.

McBay finished inputting the address he had been handed in the briefing room (having taken the paper with him instead of memorizing the symbols as he was supposed to do). He pushed down on the DHD's center crystal.

And nothing happened.

The power-down hum the Stargate gave off caught the team's attention. They all looked up at the Ancient device as the lit chevrons remained just as they were with no other activity.

After a moment of silence, Choi asked, "Uh… is… is it supposed to do that?"

"Captain?" Jansingh asked.

"Yes, ma'am," McBay said as he double-checked the lit glyphs on the DHD's surface with the penned symbols on the smuggled sheet of paper.

"The Stargate isn't on."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, dialing the address again. The team watched as the dialing process turned the chevrons off at once and then switched them back on with each push.

"Why didn't the Stargate turn on?"

McBay touched the central crystal after ensuring he had entered the full address. Again, however, the center of the Stargate remained inactive with the same depressing sound. "Probably the same reason it didn't turn on this time, ma'am," he said.

"This is a problem," Jansingh sighed.

"Yes, ma'am, big problem," McBay replied, triple-checking the symbols as he entered them again.

"Maybe the vines are in the way," Choi suggested, pointing to the growth slowly climbing across the DHD's surface.

"If they were, the DHD wouldn't dial at all," Jansingh replied. She watched for a moment as McBay's third attempt failed as well. "Are you sure you have the right address, Captain?"

"Positive, ma'am," McBay replied, holding the paper over his shoulder for her to see.

"You know that you were supposed to get rid of that, right?" she asked.

"Ma'am, I'm fairly confident that everyone who wants to kill us already has Earth's phone number," he answered in a frustrated tone as he prepared to dial again.

"Hold up, sir," Brandt spoke up. "Major, I think I might know something about this."

"Go ahead," Jansingh told him as McBay turned to look at him.

"Well, when I was first briefed on the Stargate," Brandt explained, "I remember the master sergeant explaining that the network is like a phone system. In order to work right, the 'Gate you're trying to dial has to be inactive. Kind of like when you call someone. You have to wait until they hang up in order to call them."

"Guess the Ancients never thought of 'call waiting'," McBay commented with a smirk.

Jansingh pointed at the Stargate and asked, "Are you saying that this is a _busy_ signal?"

Brandt shrugged. "I guess."

Jansingh frowned and checked her watch. "Okay. We'll give them fifteen minutes before dialing again. Make yourselves comfortable."

In five minutes, the DHD and the Stargate reset themselves. The members of SG-14 sat about the clearing (none of them on the ground) and thought about their problem. It felt like a long fifteen minutes, especially for Jansingh since she kept checking her watch.

"Okay, McBay, dial it again."

"Yes, ma'am." The captain dialed Earth's address once again and touched the center crystal. Just as before, the chevrons remained lit with no other activity. "Uh oh."

"That better be one, damn long phone call," Jansingh seethed. With a sigh, she ordered, "Captain, dial up the Alpha Site."

McBay stared at the DHD for a moment. "Uh… Major?"

"What is it?"

He turned to her with a frown. "They didn't give me the address to the Alpha Site."

Jansingh gave him a blank stare. Then she turned to the other two. "Do either of you have the Alpha Site address?"

Brandt shrugged his shoulders. "They didn't give it to _me_, ma'am. I barely even know Earth's."

"Doc?"

Choi gave her an irritated look. "Sure. The military trusts me with _anything_."

Jansingh glared at the ground, realizing that she had been the only one to see the address to the Alpha Site. Unfortunately, she was only familiar with Earth's address from the times that other off-world explorers with her dialed it in front of her. The address for the Alpha Site was only given to SG teams working high-risk missions (like SG-1 or SG-3), whereas it had barely been a casual mention to her. Still, she did not like the idea of being stuck off-world for too long. She stepped over to the DHD, waving McBay away from it. If she was lucky, she could dial the Alpha Site from the brief glance she had at the address.

The DHD looked a little intimidating when one stepped up to it, especially since the Ancient device looked like it required a manual to be translated and dumbed down before it could be used. She took in a deep breath, called up the image of the Alpha Site's address which had been shown to her by one of the Gate technicians, and started pressing symbols. The first two felt right, but after that, her confidence waned. She struggled to remember the rest. As she dialed them in, she found herself hoping more and more that she was right.

She froze after the sixth, realizing something. "Which one's the point of origin?" she asked.

McBay showed her the scrap of paper with Earth's address with his finger pointed to the last symbol. "That one, Major."

She found the missing symbol and pressed on the center crystal. However, the Stargate's chevrons simply blinked out. "That didn't look good," Choi remarked.

"Shit," the Major said to herself. Then, in a louder voice, she told the team, "Disconnected number. I thought I might've known the Alpha Site's address."

McBay shrugged. "You knew more than us, ma'am. What now?"

"Since Earth is the only address we know right now, we'll keep dialing every quarter-hour. Captain, you'll monitor the Stargate for any activity. Lieutenant, Doctor, if there's anything you couldn't get done earlier, you have the time now. Just keep yourselves busy."

Brandt and Choi disappeared back toward the river after the next attempt to dial out failed. McBay, due to his apparent designation as the team's operator, remained with the Stargate with the F.R.E.D. pulled close so that he could use it as a chair. Jansingh, in effort to keep herself busy, scouted the area further away from the Stargate. This unfortunately revealed the confidence she had in returning home, as the excursion took five hours before she returned to the Stargate. When she returned, she had to wake up McBay.

In this manner, an additional seven hours passed beyond their original mission schedule. What was worse, P3C-529 revealed that the first twelve hours of their mission had been the limit of its daylight. By the time Jansingh had decided to recall Brandt and Choi from the river, everyone was stumbling around in the dark with flashlights in hand.

"Okay, one more for the day," Jansingh told McBay as the other two stepped into the clearing. McBay nodded and started dialing the gate with his penlight in his mouth.

"Ow!" Choi shouted. Her light blinded Brandt. "Would you watch your step!"

"What're you talking about?" Brandt replied in an irritated tone. "There's three feet in between us."

"Come on, kids," Jansingh sighed at them. "Don't argue, or you're never going to go to Colorado again."

McBay finished dialing, but the Stargate did not connect. "I don't think we'll be seeing Colorado anytime soon anyway, Major."

Jansingh scanned the clearing with her flashlight. "Okay," she began. "So, it looks like we'll be staying the night here; it's too dark to do anymore work."

"I knew I should've brought my toothbrush," McBay commented, snapping his fingers.

"Lieutenant, would we have any trouble sleeping on the ground?" Jansingh asked.

"Yeah, we would, ma'am," Brandt replied. "I don't know what these vines feed on, but they don't need much in the way of sunlight. Those vines I took as a sample grew out of the container while it was in my pocket."

"Options?" she asked.

"Well…" McBay said, staring up at the tufts of starlight while he tried to recall their supply manifest. "We have rations to last another day here, emergency blankets, extra ammunition, survey equipment, and spare BDUs. And… the survey equipment outnumbers everything else we have."

Brandt glanced over at the trees nearby. "What about rope?" he asked.

"Plenty of rope," McBay replied. "Tough stuff. Why?"

"Where is it?"

"I put it back on the F.R.E.D. here," McBay said as he turned around. The rest of the team looked around at the ground, noticing the lumps of vines which held the rest of their equipment. The only exception hung from a nearby tree. When flashlights focused on him, he turned around and found Jansingh, the closest, giving him an irritated look. "It won't happen again, ma'am."

"What do you have in mind?" Jansingh asked, turning to Brandt.

"Something I picked up back home," he answered as he crossed the clearing. He took the rope McBay offered.

"Survival training?" Jansingh asked.

"Camping, ma'am," Brandt replied as he unbundled the rope. "When we were young, my dad _loved_ to camp. Thing is, we couldn't afford tents beyond what my sisters used, so he would build hammocks using some blankets, rope, and whatever trees happened to be nearby. These vines only go so far up the tree, so we should be able to sleep without being wrapped up in the morning."

Jansingh exchanged looks with McBay. "It's your plan, Lieutenant," she sighed. "Run with it. What do you need?"

"Another hand and more light, ma'am," he said, stepping around the F.R.E.D. on his way to the closest trees. "Oh, and those blankets you mentioned, Captain."

"Doc, you and I'll give him a hand," Jansingh said. "Captain, do we have anything for security?"

McBay shook his head. "No, ma'am. But then, I haven't seen anything around here that could be a threat."

Jansingh gave a disappointed glance. "Well, how about a nightlight, then?"

McBay had to think before pointing to the F.R.E.D. "Will the headlights on him work?"

"Whatever'll give us a clear view of anything that tries to kill us."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jansingh walked over to Brandt's location. Choi stood next to the trunk of one tree holding one end of the rope. The major watched as Brandt appeared to weave the rope between four other trees. "Any other bits of Boy Scout knowledge you've got to share, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Ma'am, the only thing I learned in the Boy Scouts is how much I hate Boy Scouts," Brandt answered as he wound the rope between the trees to complete an X shape in between each tree. As he returned to the first tree, he paused at the point where Choi held the rope. "Hmm… something's not right here."

"What is it?" Choi asked.

But he frowned as he double-checked his work. "Oh, I get it," he realized as he rounded the tree (and Choi). "There's an even number of spaces."

"So?" the doctor responded.

"We always had an odd number of people sleeping outside," Brandt told her as he wrapped the rope once around each tree. "Dad, me, Luke, Jessie, and Biscuit."

"Biscuit?" Jansingh smiled.

"The dog, ma'am. He was a spitz. Kind of a coward at times, but he _loooooved_ camping. First animal I knew that had a drinking problem."

"Your _dog_ had a _drinking_ _problem_?" Choi asked with one eyebrow raised.

"My dad eventually switched to cans because Biscuit figured out how to open bottle caps," Brandt laughed as he wandered back to them.

"I knew a guy with a Great Dane that had the same problem," McBay commented as he pulled the lit F.R.E.D. around to cast light on Brandt's work. "If you didn't offer it a beer, it wasn't going to be your friend."

"Are _all_ military personnel fascinated with dogs that drink?" Choi asked, eying Jansingh.

Jansingh smiled and replied in an even tone, "Actually, I keep a T-rex in my yard. Keeps the neighbors' dogs in check."

This revelation stunned Choi for a moment while Brandt and McBay chuckled to themselves. Choi then rolled her eyes. "Everyone's a comedian."

"So, what are we looking at?" McBay asked.

"Hammocks, sir," Brandt told him. "Did you get the blankets?"

McBay picked up one of the nylon bags sitting on the F.R.E.D. "Right here."

"I think I'm following your train of thought, Lieutenant," Jansingh said. "Captain, start laying the blankets on the ropes."

"Just lay them over the ropes, sir," Brandt directed. "I'll be by to secure them."

After tying the rope to itself and checking to see if it was as tight as he needed, he started using his roll of duct tape to secure the blankets to the trees. Then the team settled into the makeshift hammocks.

McBay let out a loud sigh of relief. "This is nice."

"I've had better to sleep in," Choi groaned under her breath.

Brandt, who laid with his head on the other side of the tree from hers, heard her and replied, "Plenty of room on the ground, Doc."

"Don't call me 'Doc'," Choi told him. "I _earned_ my doctorate."

"Shut up, both of you," Jansingh ordered them with a little heat in her tone. "Just rest for now."

"Hey, Major," McBay asked, "do you think Command knows we're still out here?"

"I'm sure they do, Captain. The question is whether or not they're having the same problems we are."

"Any idea what it could be, ma'am?" Brandt asked.

"Any number of problems, Lieutenant, but nothing we're going to know right away. If they don't call up during the night, then we'll try again in the morning."

"And if they don't?" Choi asked.

"Then we just try to hold out. If we have to, we'll move the camp towards the river so we have a fresh water supply. I'm sure some of the vegetation's edible."

"Don't see why not," Brandt said. "Those berries we found should give us something to work with."

"Should we have a watch, Major?" McBay asked.

"The night here lasts seven hours, Captain," Jansingh replied. "But if you're worried, you can stay awake for it."

"Got it, ma'am."

…

The members of SG-14 slept through the night without incident. But when the sun first mounted the treetops…

"Are you _kidding_ _me_?!"

Choi's shriek roused Jansingh with a grouchy disposition. She sat up, finding that her geologist was using moist towelettes to scrub the jacket sleeve of her BDU.

"Wha's go'n on?" McBay slurred as he attempted to roll out of his hammock.

"What is it, Doc?" Jansingh asked as she slid out of the hammock.

"It's-it's _shit_!" she shouted. "I'm _covered_ in _shit_!"

Jansingh examined her own uniform. Because she had been lying on her back, her entire front had been exposed to a midnight toilet run from the local birds. Here and there, hard spots of black and white bird droppings dotted her body. After checking that nothing had landed in her face, she glanced back at the hammock. The droppings vaguely outlined the void where she had slept.

"Aw, cwap," Brandt moaned as he got to his feet. He pulled his small thermos out of his vest and used the water inside to wash his mouth out. "Agh, that's disgusting…"

"Ma'am," McBay spoke up. Jansingh turned to find that he had been pelted more than her. "I think we forgot something."

"Forgot that those self-righteous buzzards might still hold a grudge," Brandt said as he took his vest off. "I say we have pheasant for lunch, ma'am."

"Just take it easy, Lieutenant," Jansingh told him.

"Major, I've got to wash this stuff off my face," Choi groaned.

"Lieutenant, take the doctor down to the river," Jansingh ordered. "Take a few minutes and get back here as soon as possible. As soon as you return, get into the spare fatigues. Captain, dial up the 'Gate; let's see if Earth's open for business yet."

Choi, having taken off her vest and jacket to expose her white t-shirt, crossed the clearing with Brandt behind her while mumbling under her breath, "I hate this place."

However, McBay's first attempt to dial Earth met the same results that the team had seen the day before. After freshening up with clean uniforms and a meal, Jansingh took Brandt to investigate some fruit trees she remembered discovering on her expedition the day before. Choi remained at the Stargate with McBay, where she began surveying the nearby terrain.

The trees Jansingh had found looked like apple trees filled with fat Granny Smiths. However, since neither was tall enough to reach for an apple, Brandt found himself climbing up the tree.

From his position on a branch thick enough to support his weight, he had plucked one apple from the end of another branch above him. He used a pocketknife to carve off a sliver of the apple. "Well," he called down to the major, "it looks like an apple."

"I can see that, Lieutenant," she answered, her tone still hot from the morning's discovery. "I want to know if they _are_ apples."

Brandt smelled the apple. Then he licked the piece that he cut off. "Tastes a little… orange-y. Like there's citric acid in these things. But the interior looks like an apple." He took a bite. "Oh, wow! These are pretty good!"

"I like how scientific you're being about this," Jansingh remarked. "Can I assume that, since you're not falling out of the tree, they're safe to eat?"

"I'd be surprised if they weren't, Major," he replied before stuffing the apple between his teeth. He did not speak for a few moments as he clambered down the trunk.

Jansingh asked him as he hit the ground, "Why do you say that?"

Brandt licked the juice off his lips after taking the apple from his mouth. "Say what?"

"Why would it surprise you if the fruits weren't edible?"

"Oh. Well, Major, the only thing that keeps trees like this in supply is how they reproduce. Insects do a lot of pollination. After the fruit grows, _something_ has to spread the seeds around. Probably what the birds do."

"A niche, right?" Jansingh asked. "Kind of like when I order you to climb up a tree to retrieve an apple _without_ biting into it, and you follow my order?"

"Uh… yes, ma'am," Brandt replied, throwing away the slice of apple before he took another bite.

Jansingh sighed. "Well, do you think it's a via—"

"Major!" their radios suddenly cried out in McBay's voice. "The 'Gate's dialing in!"

Jansingh took her radio into her hand. "You and Choi, get to cover and identify anyone who comes through. We're on our way back."

She started off towards the Stargate in a run with Brandt right behind her. But as she dodged through the trees, another voice buzzed from her radio.

"Sierra-Golf One-Four, this is Sierra-Golf Alpha Site. Please respond."

Jansingh put her arm out to stop Brandt as she pulled the radio closer to her mouth. "Alpha Site, this is Sierra-Golf One-Four, Major Jansingh."

"This is General Anson," the masculine voice replied. "It's good to hear from you, Major. You know that you and your team are overdue for your return to Earth, right?"

"We're aware of that, General," she answered. "We've been dialing Earth for hours now, but the Stargate hasn't connected."

"Then you're having the same problem we are," Anson replied. "You are aware that procedure is to contact the Alpha Site in the event that the SGC can't be reached, right, Major?"

She exchanged a sigh with Brandt. "Yes, sir, but none of my team were given the address to the Alpha Site. I think we may have been overlooked."

"I see," the general said. "We're sending a technician to your location. Accompany him back to the Alpha Site for debriefing as soon as possible."

"Understood, General," she said as she and Brandt started walking again.

"See you soon," the general said. "Alpha Site out."

"Double-time, Lieutenant," she told Brandt. Then she said into her radio, "Captain, get the site packed."

They hustled back to the Stargate just as the technician, a young woman wearing service dress with a sheet of paper in one hand, finished dialing. The Stargate gave its characteristic mechanical groan and kawoosh. McBay, standing next to the technician, brought his wrist up and dialed in the team's code on his G.D.O.

"Glad you people at the Alpha Site were looking for us," Jansingh said, her voice visibly startling the woman in Air Force Blue. "Any word on what's going on back home?"

"Nothing yet, Major," the woman replied. "After the SGC failed to contact us this morning, we spent an hour trying to open a wormhole back to Earth. Afterwards, we started looking for other SG teams still out on assignment. So far, you're the first team we've found."

"Everything's packed, ma'am," McBay told her.

"Move it out, Captain," Jansingh told him, snatching her helmet from the top of the F.R.E.D. "Let's go, folks."


	2. Vacation

"Vacation"

…

General Anson had a grim look on his face as Jansingh led her team into the briefing room. She was certain she knew why. By Earth reckoning, the Alpha Site had been out of contact with Stargate Command for almost two days. The idea left most of her team worried, especially when they considered all the things they had heard about SG-1, Earth's flagship team. Earth could be blockaded by the Goa'uld, their Stargate could have been disabled because the control computer had gone haywire again, an alien artifact could have attached itself to the interior of the Embarkation Room and caught personnel in the process… the speculation running abound in the Alpha Site reached an absurd level. So far, there was very little actual information to go on. All attempts to contact the SGC using the Stargate resulted in less than a pretty show of lights before the Alpha Site Stargate became bored and shut itself down for the next user. It had been a minor inconvenience for SG-14, whose members had to spend yesterday evening on an alien planet.

Unfortunately, the Alpha Site was left in a much direr situation. With contact with Earth cut off for an unknown amount of time, the fallback point for the interstellar exploration branch of the United States Air Force was short of supplies and personnel. The fatigues worn by SG-14 had been donated to them by base personnel with the team patch replacing the customized delta of the Alpha Site. This left Jennifer Choi, a particularly short woman, with an oversized uniform modified with small pieces of duct tape from a roll that McBay had swiped from a maintenance locker.

"Ladies and gentlemen," General Anson addressed them, indicating the conference table set up in a room suspiciously similar to the briefing room at the SGC. With his girth, the general could almost pass for the SGC's commanding officer, General Hammond, if he shaved his head. Jansingh took the closest chair to the head of the table with Choi next to her while Captain McBay and Lieutenant Brandt sat opposite from them. The general also took his seat and laced his fingers together. But instead of starting the briefing, he silently contemplated the clean surface of the table. Then he sighed.

"We have a problem."

"You mean _other_ than the problem with contacting Earth, right?" Choi asked in a snobbish tone that, alone, would constitute insubordination. It was only Choi's fortune that she was not Air Force personnel. Jansingh felt Anson's dagger-shaped glare slice the air inches from her face when his eyes darted in Choi's direction.

"Until we make contact with Earth again," he continued after a brief moment, "the Alpha Site will have to be self-sufficient. The survey teams here have already identified a number of edible plants in the area, so our food supplies will be rationed and supplemented with what we can find. Unfortunately, we are understaffed at the moment, so function of this base won't be as smooth as the SGC."

"SG-14 is ready to help in any way possible, sir," Jansingh said, her nod drawing agreement from McBay and Brandt.

"I'm aware of that, Major," the general said. "But as the only exploration team on-base, your primary function will not be here at the Alpha Site."

"Anywhere we're needed, General," McBay chimed.

"Without Earth, most off-world teams are exposed with no means of retreating. That's why, since yesterday, we've been attempting to contact every team that has been deployed in an effort to retrieve them."

"How many have responded, sir?" Jansingh asked.

"So far, only you."

"Out of how many?" McBay asked.

"We've attempted to contact seven teams thus far. According to the mission roster we received from Earth before contact was lost, seven SG teams and five survey groups are expected to be off-world."

"I suddenly don't have a problem with low-priority missions," Brandt remarked to McBay. The captain nodded in agreement.

"Half of the SG teams and the survey groups are expected to be operating off-world for a while," the general continued. "But SG-10 is overdue. They were supposed to check in with the SGC five hours ago, so they should have tried to contact us since then."

"Maybe they're like us and don't know the Alpha Site's address," McBay suggested.

"If that's the case, then they need to be brought back here immediately. SG-14's mission will be to go to P2X-755, assess SG-10's situation, and bring them back to the Alpha Site."

"Any idea what their mission was?" Brandt asked.

"Follow-up, mostly. Land surveys. Also, they were supposed to be negotiating trade with the indigenous population, although the briefing we received from Stargate Command failed to specify what."

"General, if you don't mind," Choi spoke up, one hand in the air. "I'd prefer to remain here and run some soil tests."

"Sorry, Doctor, but as a member of SG-14, you're expected to accompany the team on every mission they are assigned unless specifically requested elsewhere. And I didn't like that comment you made, so it's just as well I _don't_ have to listen to you any more than I want." Choi sat stunned while Brandt and McBay tried to hide the impulse to grin.

"You said P2X-755 has an indigenous population, sir," Jansingh said. "Did the briefing indicate any hostility?"

The general shook his head. "No, but if the potential for trade is any indication, the indigenous people don't hate us _yet_. See if SG-10 was able to maintain good relations."

"If they didn't, you'll know two minutes after the 'Gate closes, sir," McBay commented with a grin.

Anson stood, prompting the team to follow. "SG-14, you depart in ten minutes," he said. "Gear up."

…

The Alpha Site Stargate sat in a dirt clearing somewhat removed from the few pre-fab buildings that served as the base. Other than a couple of SFs standing guard around the DHD, a few BDU-clad civilians and armored Jaffa (rebels, of course) roamed the grounds. No sign of Tok'ra operatives, though, which turned out to be a disappointment for McBay; he had been prattling on about some of the visitors to the SGC which the technicians gossiped about. As SG-14 approached dressed in clean camouflage with packs, one of the SFs' radios buzzed. After an acknowledging comment, he turned and dialed the DHD. The Stargate gave its customary kawoosh, and a shimmering pool filled the empty space in the middle of the Ancient device.

"So, does anyone know what these people are like?" Brandt asked as they continued across the dirt clearing.

"According to the mission report, SG-12 took the first recon last week," McBay said. "But the Alpha Site has yet to get in touch with them, so we're on our own."

"You read the mission report?" Jansingh asked over her shoulder.

"I skimmed it." But Brandt gave him a doubtful side-glance. McBay then admitted, "Okay, I had one of the technicians give me the highlights. Nice lady. Can't say the report was as interesting, though."

"I was almost surprised, Captain," Jansingh commented over her shoulder in an unimpressed tone. "Just for that, you have the point."

"Yes, ma'am," McBay groaned, stepping around her.

"This is SG-14," she said into her radio. "See you soon, Alpha Site."

"Keep in touch, Major," General Anson replied.

The team stepped through the portal, feeling almost nothing against their skin as the water-like surface absorbed them. A vision of stars flew past them before emerging into another afternoon seemingly on the other side of the Alpha Site's Stargate.

The first sound heard was a sneeze from McBay.

"Bless you," Brandt said with a grin.

"That sneeze had better not be a problem, Captain," Jansingh commented as her eyes scanned the surroundings. The Stargate sat on a hill overlooking a cluster of wood-shingled roofs, connected by a road of grey brick. Other than an F.R.E.D. sitting silent next to a DHD painted in an array of gaudy colors, no immediate sign of SG-10 was to be held.

"I've never had anything like this, ma'am," McBay replied as the Stargate shut down.

"You did the same thing when we stepped onto the Alpha Site," Brandt commented.

McBay sniffed. "I've never been off-world until P3… uh, until two days ago."

"You mean until P3C-529?" Brandt asked, drawing his camera.

"Whatever."

Jansingh clicked her radio to transmit. "Sierra-Golf One-Zero," she said into it, "this is Sierra-Golf One-Four. Please respond." She paused for a moment, but no response came. "Sierra-Golf One-Zero, we need your location. Please respond."

Silence answered, prompting McBay to quip, "Guess nobody's home."

"We should've called ahead," Brandt commented.

"We did," Jansingh said. She addressed her radio in a stern voice, "Sierra-Golf One-Zero. Major Weaver, please respond. Where the hell are you?"

McBay allowed the grace of half a minute before saying, "I think we're going to have to find them the hard way, ma'am."

"Captain, take the point," Jansingh told him. "We're heading into town."

"Why are you taking pictures?" Choi asked as she and Brandt fell in step behind Jansingh.

Brandt shrugged. "It's an alien planet. Why wouldn't I?"

"We're picking up another team," she pointed out. "They've probably done all the first visit stuff."

"Every little bit helps."

Choi stared up at the sky as if to indicate her lack of interest. "You must have a good budget on film."

Brandt gave her a stumped look. "Uh… actually, I'm using a digital camera."

She shoved her hands in her pockets. "So no problem, then," she replied in a cool tone.

"Doc," McBay whined, "why don't you just admit you're bored?"

"Because I'm holding out for an admission from someone that I was _right_," she answered. "Because there is no reason for me to _be_ here. Just like I was trying to explain to that general."

"Major," McBay said, "requesting permission to tell the doc she's a waste of space just like she wants." Brandt snorted.

"_Excuse_ me?" Choi replied.

McBay shrugged. "That's what _I_ heard."

"Captain, you have the point," Jansingh told him. "Put some distance between us."

"Yes, ma'am," McBay said, quickening his pace.

"Doc," Jansingh continued, "I'll be the first to admit that I would rather have anyone _but_ you walking behind me because would actually be paying attention. That being said, it doesn't take much effort to use those pretty eyes of yours to look around for four adults wearing military fatigues. In fact, it would take less effort than staring at the back of my head and whining about how useless you are."

Choi was silent, her mouth hanging open in an expression of wordlessness. Brandt, humored by the even voice with which Jansingh had delivered her opinion, turned and snapped a profile shot of Choi's face. "I'll call this one 'The Day the Major Broke the Doc'," he joked as he admired the picture on the camera's screen. "Copies, Major?" However, Jansingh glared over her shoulder, a clear indication to Brandt that he should shut up.

The road, as they walked, changed into steps at steeper points. Other than that, there did not appear to be anything special about it. There were no signposts, which made sense because the road never branched off. The residents also had not put up any sort of lighting. The overall walk took about twenty minutes, all spent in silence.

The first evidence of human presence sat at a small booth between the buildings on either side of the road. The path switched to red brick as it entered what looked like a series of shops lining both sides of a town street. People in both casual clothes (which looked like t-shirts and sweatpants to the members of SG-14) and business uniforms crisscrossed the road. There were no immediate signs of military or police establishment because no one they saw carried weapons. Under the circumstances, Jansingh felt that spotting SG-10 should be quite easy.

McBay had been stopped at a small booth just outside the town. His stance, leaning on the wall with his hands casually in his pockets, told Jansingh of a lapse in interest in the mission.

"Situation, Captain?" she asked in a sharp tone that made McBay jump in surprise.

"Oh, hey, Major," he replied. After clearing his throat, he continued, "Uh, this is Suah. She's… uh…"

A young woman of dark skin peered over the table with almond-shaped eyes. "Hello," she said with the kind of smile which added "I'm clueless" to the end of every statement. "How can I help you?"

"You're an info booth?" Jansingh asked.

"I prefer the term 'Information and Scheduling Specialist'," she answered, holding her smile.

"We're looking for SG-10." It seemed straight-forward to Jansingh. Until Suah tilted her head like a confused dog. She added, "There should be four of them, all wearing uniforms like us."

At this information, the girl Suah put on an uncomfortable look. "Um… th-this is just my first day…"

"Some specialist," Choi commented. Suah shot an irritated glare at her.

Jansingh gripped her radio and addressed it, "Sierra-Golf One-Zero, where the hell are you?" As before, no response. "Captain, take the doc and start looking around. Lieutenant, you're with me. Keep in radio contact. And if you go missing, too, I'm going to find you just so I can _shoot_ you."

McBay gave a nervous grin. "Yes, ma'am."

"Get going."

McBay gave a salute before indicating to Choi to follow. Jansingh's gaze brushed over the useless information specialist as she glanced over her shoulder at Brandt. Her hand formed a terse signal, and Brandt stepped ahead of her. Giving her watch a quick glance, she fell into step behind him.

The buildings around them all appeared to be made of brick, two or three stories hich each. None, especially so close to the town entrance, seemed to be any sort of residence. Instead, most of them sported signage of various design, their writing system appearing to resemble excerpts of Goa'uld if they were written with an Asian calligraphy brush. At least, that was how they appeared to Jansingh; Brandt did not think so much of it as his camera continued its fanatical clicking.

Jansingh was scanning what appeared to be a pet store when Brandt suddenly came to a halt. "Hey, Major," he said over his shoulder, using the top of the camera to point. "Take a look at that."

The major's eyes swept in the direction her subordinate gave. In the front window of some kind of outfitter's store, a set of fatigues bearing the shoulder patch of an SG-10 member sat on a wooden form. Jansingh stepped in front of Brandt, ruining the shot he was about to take, to examine the uniform further. It had not seen any sort of combat, spot-free and intact as far as she could tell. The rank insignia were missing, but the person had neglected to remove the tag reading "MUELLER", indicating that this had belonged to Second Lieutenant Mueller.

Brandt attempted to share a confused look with her, but the major laced a finger into the trigger guard of her P90, stepped to the front door, and used a hand to wrench it open hard enough to snap the frail chain attached at the top. The elderly man tending the front counter jumped in surprise, dropping his glasses. He scrambled to put them back on so he could identify the woman who nearly took his front door off its hinges.

"H-hello," he greeted in a timid tone. "H-how can I—"

"'Help you'?" Jansingh finished. "you can tell me why you have a uniform in your display window."

"Ah," the old man droned as his eyes scanned Jansingh. "Looking for an upgrade, soldier?"

Jansingh glanced down at her BDU. "No," she answered. "And if you intend to refer to me by a title, _I_ am a _major_."

The man released an audible gulp, tipping off to Jansingh that he recognized her rank. "Y-yes, Major."

"The fatigues in your window."

He raised his hands in innocence. "Borrowed, Major. Honestly."

"But you have it on display," Brandt said as he stepped from behind his superior officer.

"A lot of people around here expressed interest in the design," the old man explained. "If I could get enough local travelers interested, I would be given the materials I need to recreatet the design. Lieutenant Mueller was kind enough to lend it to me for the day; he said he wouldn't need it for a bit."

"He must be running around here naked," Brandt joked. But the grin he directed at Jansingh met a venomous glare. "I, uh… why-why don't I just take the uniform down?"

"I wish you would, Lieutenant," she replied.

The old man watched Brandt for a moment. Then he asked, "Are you associates of the off-worlders?"

Jansingh relaxed her grip on the P90. "SG-14, Major Magdalena Jansingh," she said. "We're here to find SG-10."

"Likewise," Brandt said, leaning back into view with a hand raised. "Lieutenant Brandt."

The old man nodded. "Yes, the group from… Oord, was it?"

"Earth," Jansingh said.

"Yes, that world," the old man said with a snap of his fingers. "Toa'rok gets so many off-world visitors, it gets hard to keep track of them all. Ah, perhaps not so much anymore; I don't think I've seen many armed Jaffa lately. Probably something to do with the chaos that Apophis seems to bring about. You know those Serpent Guardis of his—"

"I'm afraid I'm a little pressed for time," Jansingh interrupted, holding a hand up. "A situation has developed, and SG-10 needs to accompany my team back to base."

"Ah, yes, the lack of contact with Earth, right?"

"How do you know?" Brandt asked, now carrying the folded fatigues under an arm.

"Lieutenant Mueller cited it as the reason for lending his uniform," the old man answered.

"Do you know where SG-10 is?" Jansingh asked.

At this, the old man shrugged. "Scattered about, I imagine. Probably trying to keep themselves entertained until the path to Earth reopens."

"Well, at least we know they're still around," Brandt told her.

Jansingh pulled open the Velcro strap covering her watch. "Still four and a half hours to look around," she replied. She took the fatigues from Brandt. "We're moving on."

"Yes, ma'am," Brandt nodded before leading her back onto the street.

Outside, Jansingh addressed her radio, "Captain McBay?"

The radio buzzed back, "Yes, Major?"

"We have reason to believe that SG-10 are somewhere in town. Probably scattered. If you find anyone, tell them to meet us back at the Stargate."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Shouldn't one of us be at the Stargate in case they show up without us knowing?" Choi's voice chimed over the radio.

"No," Jansingh replied in a blunt tone. She waited a moment for a response, but when she did not get one, she assumed McBay had stopped her. So she signaled Brandt to start walking.

They continued to follow the main street through the town, although she realized that SG-10 would be harder to locate if they were wandering about in local clothing. She would have to rely on an inferior-grade officer's tendency to salute on first sight of her; none of her team had had access to personnel files on the Alpha Site (much like the rest of the Alpha Site staff), so they did not know what the members of SG-10 looked like.

Looking around at the town, Jansingh could not help seeing a parallel between the local shops and the seedy side of a city in the United States. Granted, she might have simply misunderstood the purpose of these shops due to a lack of knowledge concerning the written brand of Goa'uld (if it was) on the signs around them, but advertizing which involved naked people in the front windows of a few shops seemed to explain itself. This was more prevalent as she and Brandt continued deeper into the town.

Forty-five minutes had passed since finding Lieutenant Mueller's uniform. Jansingh had just been checking her watch when they encountered someone.

_PANG!_

Jansingh froze at the sound of two metal pans slamming together. She looked to her left, her eyes falling on a young man wearing only a black, silk robe. His head was covered from the brow up with what appeared to be a bedpan. The hand he saluted with was trapped in a small bucket. She made it a point to stare at him with as blank a face she could manage for just a moment.

Then she returned the salute. "You have a name, mister?"

"Second Lieutenant Gregory Simms, United States Air Force," he answered, dropping his hand.

Brandt stepped closer to him, looking his unruly form up and down. "Missing a party somewhere, Lieutenant?" he asked with a grin.

Simms stammered for a moment. "Well, uh… with the Stargate not working… well, Major Weaver felt we should take it easy until the SGC called, sir."

"Lieutenant, I've _been_ calling over the radio for over an hour and a half," Jansingh said. "No one's answered. Just how did Major Weaver expect to hear from Command?"

"We-d-I… uh… o-our liaison was supposed to have her radio on."

"She doesn't."

Simms nodded. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Where's Major Weaver?"

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Inside. Room on the left at the end of the hall, ma'am."

"Get your gear and go find your liaison officer. We're taking you to the Alpha Site."

"Yes, ma'am." Simms scrambled back inside, losing the pan on his head in the process.

Jansingh grabbed her radio and addressed it, "Captain McBay."

"Read you, Major," McBay replied.

"We've found Major Weaver. If you see anything that looks like a…" She paused to look at the signage of the building before her. No naked people, but the window sported a large number of fancy bottles. "… anything that looks like it would attract the curious little boy in you, go in and look for SG-10 members."

McBay did not answer right away. "You mean… like a bar, ma'am?"

"Any place of ill-repute, Captain."

Another pause. "Uh… where… exactly _are_ you?"

"The local red-light district, by my guess."

"Right, we must be on the boring side of town."

"Try not to sound too disappointed, Captain."

"Roger."

"Jansingh out." She heaved a sigh before talking to Brandt. "Stay out here in case more show up. Tell them to get their gear and head to the Stargate."

"Yes, ma'am," Brandt replied with a salute. Jansingh pushed Mueller's fatigues into his arms before walking inside the same store Simms had disappeared into.

When Jansingh stepped inside, she made certain that her boots echoed off the marble floor. The sound seemed to make the locals grimace, the kind of effect she was looking for. Immediately to her left, Simms snatched up pieces of his gear from the curious employees with his only free hand. After glaring at him while he struggled to steal back a boot from a heavy-set woman, she continued forward down the hallway. As she walked, she peered into the open rooms. She concluded that the establishment was a massage parlor, evidenced not only by the presence of padded tables and far too many bottles of oil to count, but also by the activities of the people who forgot to shut the door.

She found the door Simms had indicated and walked in without knocking. The room smelled like gasoline. It made Jansingh wish she had a lighter, for on the table in the middle of the room lay the half-naked form at Major Weaver. He lay on his stomach with a towel covering his buttocks. Despite his apparent fitness, the major's skin was beginning to wrinkle in places, and his hair had already turned stark-white. He had his arms folded under his chin, and the angle at which he lay made it difficult for him to see the door.

His comment upon her entry quickly gave Jansingh the urge to just shoot him and write him off as a loss.

"You know, I think I want to try something different today. Earth girls like to give massages in less clothing; it's not as restrictive on movement. You might try it."

Jansingh put on her best glare and crossed her arms. "I have a dinner-and-wine prerequisite, Major."

"Ma-what?" Major Weaver propped himself up on one arm so he could see the door. In the next few seconds, he was on his feet with one hand holding his towel up. "Wha-who the hell're you?!"

"Major Jansingh, SG-14."

Weaver blinked in surprise. "SG-14? You guys at the SGC finally notice us missing?"

Jansingh shook her head. "We came from the Alpha Site, Major. Earth still isn't responding. I'm under orders from General Anson. We're here to bring you and your team back."

Weaver cleared his throat. "We tried the Alpha Site. We thought there was just something wrong with our 'Gate; Lieutenant Simms dialed _twice_."

"Is this the same Lieutenant Simms with a bucket glued to his hand?"

Weaver stepped to a table on the far side of the room from Jansingh. He continued to talk as he dug through his clothes. "It's not the strangest thing he's had his hand glued to. Give me a moment, and I'll assemble my team. We'll meet you at the Stargate."

"Lieutenant Simms should be getting your liaison officer now. We need to find Lieutenant Mueller; we have his uniform."

Weaver stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I see. … I believe he mentioned a spa of some sort up the road from here."

"We'll meet you by the 'Gate then." Weaver nodded, and Jansingh left.

Outside, Brandt snapped a salute at her. "Lieuteant Simms just took off, ma'am."

After dismissing the salute, Jansingh addressed her radio. "Captain, where are you?"

"Just leaving the local brothel, ma'am," the radio replied in McBay's voice. "Anyone know a good shrink? I'm gonna need some serious help after what _I_ just saw."

"I know a high school janitor back in Montana who's great at handling hormonal teenagers, sir," Brandt joked into his radio. He tried to share his grin with Jansingh, but his humor died once again at the sight of her irate scowl.

"Bite me, Lieutenant" McBay said.

"Captain, take the doctor and wait by the Stargate," Jansingh said. "SG-10 should be joining you shortly."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And us, ma'am?" Brandt inquired.

"The major said that Lieutenant Mueller should be at a spa further up the road."

"Got it." But Brandt glanced around for a moment. "Uh… which way?"

Jansingh released an irritated sigh; she only now realized that Weaver had not specified a direction. Given that she had not noticed anything overly resembling a spa as they walked the main road, she indicated the road they had yet to see and said, "That way."

"So, did Major Weaver explain what happened on their end?" Brandt asked as they started moving.

"Same thing as us; they couldn't dial Earth."

"What about the Alpha Site?"

"He said they tried. If our little venture with that idea is any indication, they don't know the address, either."

Brandt nudged his cap aside to scratch his scalp. "Huh. I guess we're not the only ones who dropped the ball on that one."

"I'm more inclined to believe that individual teams off-world never had to go to the Alpha Site like this. It sounds less stupid."

Brandt nodded and took his camera out again. "Of course, ma'am."

Jansingh glanced at him. "The Alpha Site is supposed to be the SGC's fallback point. It may simply be just a case of security. In order to keep it a secret, the SGC prefers that we don't regularly travel there."

"Then… why give us the address in the first place?"

"Shit happens."

He sighed. "True." Then he stopped and nodded at a nearby building. "Hey, Major. Think this might be it?"

Jansingh stopped and turned in the direction he had indicated. Unlike the other buildings, this one was a single-story, wooden building. It was also considerably wider than its neighbors and lacked the large display windows that they had seen everywhere else. Jansingh doubted Brandt's observation until she realized that people entering and leaving wore what looked like bathrobes.

So she took the uniform from under Brandt's arm and marched to the door. "If it isn't," she called back over her shoulder, "look out for the stampede.

"Because I'm going to tear this whole _planet_ apart."

"Will do, ma'am," Brandt replied with a nervous grin. After he watch her disappear through the door, he scanned his surroundings. Then he backed up to the building across the road. "Yeah, someone's gonna die."

Jansingh's abrupt entrance startled the young woman drifting to sleep at the reception desk directly across from the door.

"Men on right, women on left," she cried out on reflex.

"Thank you," Jansingh said, immediately turning right.

"Wha—hey, wait!" The young woman rounded the desk, although too late to stop her. "You can't go in there!"

"Then stop me," Jansingh said, continuing down the hallway ahead of her.

"I will," the young woman said. She reached back to the desk for a long board hidden around the corner.

The scrape of the board alerted Jansingh. Her hand hit the 9-millimeter holstered on her hip. In the second it took the young woman to bring the board up and turn to swing it at Jansingh, the major already had the pistol pointed at her face.

The subtle click of the safety releasing gave the young woman reason to pause.

"I want it very _clear_… that I've had a long day," Jansingh said in a barely audible voice. "So if you want to stop me, I suggest you find something larger than a two-by-four." The response was a hesitant stare down the barrel of Jansingh's gun before the board fell. "Good. Now. Do you know Lieutenant Mueller?" A nod. "Where is he?"

She pointed to a door past Jansingh. After confirming with door, Jansingh replaced the gun. Without another word, she walked over to the door and shoved it open.

The room on the other side was empty except for a set of clothes laid out on a bench. Warm, moist air kissed her bare skin, but she could not find the source. She crossed to a doorway blocked by an ornate, wooden screen.

"Hey, this baths' bein' used!" a voice called to her as she entered. Jansingh stepped around the screen and into a large bathroom. The bath was sunk into the floor, leaving Jansingh towering over the man sitting on the opposite side of the room.

Even after he rose with a splash, completely naked, with an unceremonious "Oh, shit".

Jansingh slowly examined him. "Enjoying yourself, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Mueller glanced down at himself. "I, uh…" he replied, standing very still.

"Cover yourself up, Lieutenant."

The response was an instant "Yes, ma'am" as he grabbed a towel sitting on the floor near him. "I-I suppose I got some explainin' to do."

"The situation seems quite apparent to me."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Get dressed. We'll rendezvous with the rest of SG-10 at the Stargate. I'll leave your fatigues in this other room."

"Yes, ma'am. Oh—thank you for bringing my uniform, ma'am."

"And, for the record, Lieutenant, if I _ever_ see you out-of-uniform again, you'll be brought up on sexual harassment charges."

"Yes, ma'am."

"_After_ I shoot you."

Lieutenant Mueller gulped.

…

"Welcome back, Major," McBay's voice called out as Jansingh approached with Brandt and Mueller behind her.

Jansingh returned the salutes the received from McBay, Weaver, Simms, and one additional woman in fatigues. Choi stood on the bottom step of the platform in front of the Stargate, arms crossed and barely acknowledging Jansingh. "Major Weaver, is this your whole team?"

"Yes, Major."

"Captain, dial up the Alpha Site," Jansingh said, flicking a wrist at McBay.

"Yes, ma'am." McBay stepped over to the DHD as he indicated Choi to Simms, who was standing close to her. Simms nodded, reached, and tugged Choi away by the back of her shirt.

"Captain Brandt, did we get trade like we were assigned?" Major Weaver asked.

Lieutenant Brandt glanced around in confusion at the sound of his last name but apparent inaccuracy of his rank, although he did not mind so much. However, Major Weaver's liaison officer answered, "No on the mining rights, Major. But I'm sure I can make a better deal; the only reason they pulled out was because we lost contact with Earth. They _are_ willing to exchange medicines with us, but that deal's gone if we can't get back to Earth."

"Maybe we can borrow a few things from the Alpha Site," Major Weaver said.

"I wouldn't count on that, Major," Jansingh spoke up. "Without Earth, supplies and personnel are almost non-existent. That's why General Anson sent us to get you."

Captain Brandt gave an annoyed groan as the Stargate activated. "So I'm just _screwed_ then."

"Don't let it get to you, Captain," Weaver said. "If they're still interested in what we have to say, we'll just have to get them in round two."

"Wait, wait," Captain Brandt said, holding up a hand to both majors. "We're short on supplies?"

"The Alpha Site will be breaking out MREs for a while," McBay said.

"Hmm." Captain Brandt cupped a hand on her chin. "I just might be able to work with that."

"How?" Lieutenant Brandt asked.

Captain Brandt paused to think. "Even if I knew, you probably don't want to know."

"I can live with that," McBay commented.

"You're not looking at doing anything against the regs, are you?" Weaver asked.

"Not sure yet."

Jansingh shook her head and addressed her radio. "Alpha Site, this is SG-14. We found SG-10 and are bringing them back."

"You're clear, Major," Anson replied. "Come on back."

"Let's move, people," she told the rest, signaling them towards the Stargate.

"Major," Weaver said to her as their teams began walking through to the Alpha Site, Simms driving the F.R.E.D. He approached her with one hand rubbing the back of his head. "Look, about the mission report…"

Jansingh held up a hand. "Major, I have no idea what you and your team were doing before we showed up, and I have no need to speculate on it in my report. Nor do I really need to dredge up the memory of how we found you. My report will be simple."

Weaver saluted. "Thank you, Major."

Jansingh dismissed the salute. As she walked past him, she added, "Don't _ever_ mention it, Major."


	3. In the Dark

"In the Dark"

…

"To anyone on the other side. My name is Leonard Rush. I'm an anthropologist working with the United States Air Force. My location is P2X-558. Yesterday, me and my team were exploring the nearby Goa'uld ruins. I don't know what triggered it, but after allowing us to study the ruins, the natives attacked. They took the team captive and destroyed most of our equipment. I was away when the attack happened, so they didn't catch me. I've been living on the edible plants in the area. I can't dial Earth. I know the local indigenous population still has the team captive, but they're looking for me; I can't get close to their village. I've rigged the Malp to my video camera, and I have this video looping. If anyone receives this, please, contact Earth and tell the SGC to send—oh, crap. I gotta go."

The video showing a bespectacled man wearing a bucket hat froze just as his hand reached for the edge of the screen. The paused video made seeing the stubble on his round jaw more apparent in the poor background light.

Captain Lisa Warren stood from the conference table, nodding to an airman at the back of the room. When the light panels in the ceiling flickered on, she stepped around the table. One hand pushed a lock of her black hair away from her forehead.

"This was the video we received earlier this evening," she addressed the table before her. "As far as we can tell, this _is_ Doctor Rush."

"There's reason to _doubt_ this?" Doctor Jennifer Choi asked, her eyes barely open beyond a sliver.

"The Goa'uld are notorious for pulling tricks out of their asses like this," General Anson, sitting closest to the television, said as he looked back at the team assembled. "According to one mission report, they once tried to implant SG-1 by capturing the team and convincing them that they had been frozen in time."

"Not to mention what happened to our predecessors," Major Magdalena Jansingh added before taking a sip of her steaming coffee.

"Almost forgot about that, ma'am," Captain David McBay, sitting next to her, groaned as he picked his head up. "They've got a flare for over-exaggerated planning, don't they?" He grimaced. "What am I doing here?"

"Try not to over-think this, Captain," the general said.

"So what does all of this have to do with _us_?" Choi asked.

"Just this, Doctor," the general said. "As of now, SG-14 is on rescue duty. Major, your team will be going to P2X-558 to recover the survey team, if possible."

"Are you getting this, Lieutenant?" Jansingh asked.

"Head to P2X-558 and save the survey team's ass," Lieutenant Oliver Brandt answered in an energetic tone while his face remained pressed into the conference table with his arms serving as a pillow. "Got it, ma'am."

"We're not sure of the kind of resistance you'll face," Captain Warren continued. "Unfortunately, the best we can offer you are the weapons you came with."

"Any backup?" Jansingh asked.

"Sorry, Major," Anson replied. "SG-10 is working on getting us more supplies from P2X-755. And we can't spare any of our base security to support you."

"Ammunition and a spare sidearm or two is the best we can offer, Major," Warren said. "Unless someone accidentally raids a Goa'uld weapons cache, we'll be in trouble if someone unfriendly shows up."

"Right," Choi said. "Because… there's no way _we'll_ be in trouble."

"Doc, you've got a strange way of making friends," McBay said.

"Did you hear all that, Lieutenant?" Jansingh asked Brandt.

"Don't piss off the locals," Brandt answered immediately, still not moving. "Got it, ma'am."

Jansingh nodded. "Just making sure."

"What do we know about the locals?" McBay asked.

"Next to nothing," Warren replied. "We don't have very many reports on individual worlds. Those files are with the SGC."

"The most we have is the day's itinerary from two weeks ago," Anson added. "But, if it helps, it appears that the natives don't like trespassers on their ruins."

"General," Choi said, raising her hand. "I'd like to point out—"

"Nope," Anson immediately answered. "Doc, I appreciate that your Ph.D. disqualifies you from most of the base functions at your chosen convenience, but as a member of SG-14, you are required to travel with the team wherever they need to go."

Choi gaped for a moment. "But… i-isn't there anyone else that can go? You know, _in my place_?"

"In short terms," Jansingh said, "_no_."

"I'm not a _soldier_!" Choi cried out, startling a drowsy McBay. "I can't even handle a _gun_! What am I supposed to do?"

McBay's half-opened eyes stared at her for a moment as he waited for someone else's suggestion. No one said anything, so he told her, "Well, if it comes to it, we can always trade you for maybe one of the survey team."

"'Maybe' one?" Warren asked.

"They might not go for it. The height difference lowers her value."

"Are you calling me _short_?" Choi asked.

He glanced around the table. "That… _was_ obvious to everyone else, right?"

"Blunter than a baseball bat, sir," Brandt spoke up.

"Major," Anson said, "pour some coffee into your team. You head out in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, General," Jansingh said as everyone at the table stood.

Well, _almost_ everyone. Before the rest of the briefing room occupants left, McBay, at the back of the pack, noticed one of their number was missing. He turned and found that Brandt still lay at the table. "Major?"

Jansingh turned, along with Warren and Choi. "Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Brandt called, still.

"We're leaving."

"On my way, ma'am."

However, Brandt's body remained unmoving. Jansingh gave him a moment, and then she met McBay's eyes. She nodded in Brant's direction. McBay crossed back to the conference table and grabbed a fistful of Brandt's fatigues from behind. He lifted Brandt with a jerk, and the two, Brandt's head drooping, approached the door.

As the briefing room emptied, McBay decided to test Brandt's awareness by nudging him towards the doorframe.

…

Jansingh's eyes met a thick forest dyed navy blue as she emerged from the shining pool of the Stargate's wormhole. Her boots treaded over a patch of bare ground as she moved before the other three members of her team bumped into her on their way through. The local night was absolute, no moon above to help illuminate the trees.

To her right, the Stargate revealed the survey team's mobile probe. She ran a hand across its surface, finding dents in its metal casing. After casting a glance at the nearby trees, she pulled a small flashlight from her vest pocket. She let the circle of light fall across the M.A.L.P. The extra illumination confirmed her suspicion; the local population, likely after they captured the survey team, had attempted to destroy the M.A.L.P. Large rocks littered the ground nearby, none of them forming any sort of familiarity with the dirt.

Someone sneezed behind her. She turned to shine the flashlight. McBay stood to one side of the Stargate, hand over his mouth. Light from the Stargate gave him only half of the glare formed on her face, but he raised a hand, gave a brief, apologetic look, and ducked into the darkness next to the Stargate. After Brandt stepped through a second later, he followed McBay while tugging on Choi's sleeve to make sure she followed.

The Stargate closed a moment later, casting darkness around the team. This left Jansingh with a problem, so she signaled the team to approach with her flashlight before switching it off.

"Captain," she said in a low voice.

_Tunk_. "Ow," Choi whined.

"Yes, Major," McBay answered.

"We're in the middle of a forest against a local hostile force with no natural light to navigate by," she told him. "How would you recommend proceeding?"

"If they weren't actively searching, I'd say wait for daylight, ma'am. But we can't afford to stay here. I'd recommend night vision equipment."

"We don't _have_ night vision equipment."

"I know, ma'am, and that's part of our problem."

_Skff_. "Ow," Brandt grunted.

Jansingh cast the direction his voice came from an irritated look before continuing with McBay. "Would it be safe to walk around without light?"

"Only if we wanna run into everything in the area, ma'am. _Including_ the locals."

"_With_ light?"

McBay sucked in a breath. "It's a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't scenario, Major. Either way, we're inviting trouble."

"Would you stop poking me," Choi said in a loud voice.

"I'm not doing it," Brandt replied. "I'm standing over here."

Jansingh turned her flashlight on and aimed it right in front of her. McBay quickly looked away, raising a hand to shield his eyes. After illuminating the Stargate for a moment, she passed the spot of light across McBay to find Brandt standing just beyond McBay's shoulder. A little further from the Stargate, she located Choi.

Who turned to find her offender.

Who shared a terrified look with her. For a moment, no one so much as breathed.

Then Choi screamed at the top of her lungs. The young man next to her, standing eye-to-eye with her, gave a holler in response. Jansingh, McBay, and Brandt brought their P90s to bare in a flash, but the man was already running through the trees. Jansingh switched hands to she could follow with the flashlight, catching sight of the man as he tripped in the distance. If it was not for the fact that he had fallen out of sight, she would have given chase.

As it was, they had just tipped off the locals to their presence. Their stealth, whatever amount they might have had after turning on the Stargate, was compromised.

She turned the flashlight back to Choi. "Nice to see you making new friends with the neighbors, Doctor."

"I-I-I-I-I-" Choi stammered, glancing back and forth between Jansingh and where the man had been standing.

Jansingh turned the light on McBay. "What's your recommendation _now_, Captain?"

"Run for it, ma'am," McBay answered, jerking a thumb at the Stargate behind him. "The 'good doctor' just gave away our position."

"I did _not_!" Choi argued.

_Tink_. Jansingh and McBay almost missed the flash of something crossing the light, having skipped off the M.A.L.P. next to them. McBay, flashlight already in hand, clicked on another spot of light to follow Jansingh's to the object that had flown between them. They met about ten feet away, illuminating the back half of an arrow buried in the ground.

"Captain, dial the Alpha Site."

"With frantic pleasure, ma'am."

McBay crossed in front of the Stargate in search of the DHD while Jansingh hunched down behind the M.A.L.P., flashlight and P90 aimed in the direction the arrow had emerged from. Brandt immediately dove out of her light and behind the nearest tree. It left Choi in the open, so he reached out and pulled her into the bush behind him.

"Oof," she grunted as she hit the ground. "What are you—"

"Shut up," Brandt hissed at her. His back to the tree, he switched on the light attachment on his P90.

"Movement straight ahead of me, Lieutenant," Jansingh said in a low voice. "Doc, get your gun."

"Major, I'm laying on it right now," Choi answered. "I really don't want to get it; I can't move."

"Just as long as I know where it is," Jansingh said, eyes locked on the vegetation in front of her.

McBay ducked behind the M.A.L.P. next to Jansingh. "Problem, Major," he said.

"Make it good, Captain," she replied. "I don't hear a Stargate working."

"Yeah, well, that's because we don't have a DHD."

Jansingh dared a glance at McBay. Meeting a stressed face, her lips formed a silent curse. Brandt used his P90's light to scan the area in front of the Stargate. True to McBay's word, there was no DHD in sight. A patch of bare earth two yards behind Jansingh and McBay hinted at its former location.

"That's not good," Brandt said to himself, lowering his weapon. "The bastards took it. They must have."

"Here's the plan," Jansingh said, raising her voice so Brandt and Choi could hear. "On three, switch off your lights. Run in as straight a line as possible behind me. I'll fire a few rounds and then follow. Get about fifty yards away, wait ten minutes, then switch your lights back on. We'll rendezvous then."

"Got it, ma'am," McBay said.

"Yes, Major," Brandt agreed.

"Are you _crazy_!?" Choi hissed.

"One."

"Oh, shit." Choi scrambled to her feet and nudged Brandt aside so she could share the tree.

"Two."

"DAAAAAH!" Choi's battle cry preceded her sudden dash towards the Stargate. Bewildered, Brandt and McBay followed her with their eyes, McBay trying to keep track of her with his flashlight.

"Ah, crap—three!"

Brandt kept his head low as he ran after Choi, light already off. Jansingh and McBay moved at the same time after he passed the M.A.L.P. McBay pocketed his flashlight and disappeared in a different direction from Brandt and Choi.

Jansingh aimed her P90 at the spire of stars before her. Her finger pressed the trigger hard, resulting in a slight kick as a burst of automatic fire broke the air. A chorus of alarmed shouting sounded from ahead, and she heard something skip off one of the trees in front of her. When she was certain that the locals had been sufficiently surprised, she switched off the flashlight and ducked past the Stargate and into the trees.

She was not sure what caused it, but she could tell that adrenaline had taken over. Despite the darkness, she could perceive the terrain around her, and she ducked past trees and hopped shrubs as if she knew they were there all along. Flight was everything on her mind. She had forgotten about the mission, about her team, in those long, few minutes she ran. She could not even remember what she was running from; all her instincts told her to just run because there was danger in the other direction.

The ground in front of her suddenly dropped, and Jansingh found herself nearly swallowing a mouthful of water. Her hands felt solid ground in front of her, so she pushed against it. The moment her head emerged, she coughed out the water as fast as she could. Then she crawled to the shore in front of her. She waited a moment, trying to catch her breath and relieve herself of some of the water in her throat.

Then she flipped over, aiming her P90 in the direction she had run from. She strained her ears, trying to hear anything approaching. The brook in front of her, gurgling away with a happy-go-lucky attitude, made listening hard. Careful to keep the weapon pointed in the same direction, she pulled herself further away from the water. There, she waited for something to happen.

After what she believed was ten minutes, she pulled her flashlight from her pocket. She examined herself first, looking for any scrapes she might have received from the fall. Nothing obvious, but mud caked her uniform in places. Her head swiveled, following the flashlight as she searched for her team.

_Ddddddda!_

Jansingh's head jerked in the direction of automatic fire. She caught muzzle flash from the last couple shouts, and she was on her feet and running towards it in seconds. Who could it have been? McBay? Brandt? Choi did not have anything larger than the pistol the SGC had issued to her. Even if she did, Jansingh doubted she would ever fire it.

She saw light ahead of her and ducked behind a tree.

"Are you some kind of idiot!?" McBay's voice.

"Wha-d-I-I—"

"You don't ever—_ever_—sneak up on someone holding a gun!"

"Captain," Jansingh called out.

"That you, Major?" McBay answered.

Jansingh stepped out of her cover to examine the situation. McBay, standing behind a bush, jerked in response and had his P90 almost trained on her before identifying her. He looked back at the ground, so she aimed her flashlight in the same direction.

She recognized Doctor Rush, although he appeared to have taken a few lumps since making his distress video. One lens appeared to be missing from his glasses, and he had a cut across one cheek. What must have been a decent button-up shirt and business khakis had tears in a few spots. His left shoe had gone missing, replaced with local foliage and a nylon strap sloppily bound together to form a sandal.

"Everything all right, Captain?" she asked.

"Is _now_," McBay said. "Gee-I-dork here thought it'd be a good idea to sneak up on me, Major. Fortunately Doc Rush is as graceful as he is a video star."

"You-you found my video?" Rush asked. "I-I wasn't sure it worked."

Footsteps sounded from nearby, and Jansingh and McBay immediately brought their P90s to bear just as another figure emerged into the spotlight on McBay's weapon.

The figure immediately ducked behind a nearby bush. "Whoa, easy, sirs," Brandt said. "It's just me."

"Get out here, Lieutenant," Jansingh said. "Has anyone seen the doc?"

Brandt stood back up and said, "Sorry, Major. Lost her before I landed in the water."

"Captain?"

"Nothing, Major," McBay answered. "But I'd call it a good trade. What's your field, Doc?"

"I-uh… an-anthropology," Rush answered.

"How well do you know the terrain, Doctor?" Jansingh asked.

"Ah, well, actually… I'm-I'm a little lost," Rush said.

"A 'good' trade, Captain?" Jansingh asked. "Next time, find us a newer model."

"Hey, Doc," Brandt said as he walked past McBay. He held up his P90 so the light attachment shone on the brook. "Know where this water goes?"

"I-I can't say," Rush answered, shaking his head. "We were only here to examine the ruins that SG-15 found weeks ago. They're on the other side of the Stargate from here. I think."

"Lieutenant?" Jansingh asked.

"Hmm?" Brandt said. Then he realized that Jansingh was looking for an explanation. "Oh. I was just thinking. If the locals built their homes in a reasonable place, somewhere close enough to the Stargate, they would have done it near flowing water. I think there may be a chance that we'll find them further down this stream."

"Captain?" Jansingh asked.

McBay shrugged. "Sounds good to me. That might be where they're keeping the survey team."

"Wait, wait," Rush interrupted. "I thought you were here to save _me_!"

"No, we're here to save your _team_, Doc," Jansingh replied.

"What about Choi, Major?" Brandt asked.

Jansingh had just opened her mouth to answer when their radios buzzed. "Choi to SG-14," the doctor's voice demanded.

McBay cringed. "Oh, _please_ don't tell me she just did that…"

Jansingh squeezed the transmit button on her radio. "I don't recall saying you can use the radio, Doc."

"You idiots _gave_ me the radio!" she screamed back. "Just what the hell am I supposed to do with it?! _Eat_ it?!"

"Not a bad idea," McBay said.

"Doc, I'm going to make this as clear as possible," Jansingh said in a careful tone. "Get off the radio. Remain under cover."

"Go to hell!" Choi screamed, the sound echoing through all three radios. "To hell with all three of you! And that fat-ass general, he can kiss my ass!"

"Cut 'em," Jansingh said, switching off her radio. McBay and Brandt did the same, plunging the group into silence. Jansingh held up a finger to keep her officers quiet while she listened for Choi's voice in the distance. Nothing. She had thought it was a long shot. "Captain, take the point. We're heading downstream."

"Yes, ma'am," McBay answered with a casual salute.

"Wha-what about your other teammate?" Rush asked as they started down the side of the brook.

"She's become a problem," Jansingh said. "We can't afford to have her shrieking over our radios; it would give away our position. Do you know if the locals kill people?"

"I-I went back to the site to see," Rush said. "It was completely empty. I-I haven't seen any… b-bodies since."

"Hope it means they'll catch the good doctor and not shoot her," Brandt said.

Jansingh raised an eyebrow. "They _did_ shoot at us, though."

"After she scared the hell out of that kid, Major," McBay commented. "She can't do it twice in a row, can she?"

"She's got a way with people," Brandt said with a grin.

…

Half an hour later, Jansingh, McBay, Brandt, and Rush hunched behind a line of bushes a few yards away from a humble-looking village. Most of the houses were made of combinations of stone and wood. Torches were posted about the dirt road, but only a few men seemed to be on patrol, each one holding a bow at the ready. Jansingh found herself surprised at their clothing choice: silk t-shirts and wool trousers.

"Are you sure these people are indigenous?" she asked across Brandt.

"We found out when we got here," Rush answered. "Someone from SG-15 forgot to pack their spare fatigues. When we arrived, half of the village had taken up the style."

"I wonder if they'll make me a couple Hawaiians," McBay said.

"You can go shopping when we get back to Earth," Jansingh told him. "In the meantime, do you see any sign of the survey team?"

"Yeah, they're right over there."

Jansingh narrowed her eyes at him before casting a glance around the village again. "Where?"

McBay pointed and said, "You see that hut with the dog faces standing out front?" Jansingh followed his directions to a reed-built hut near the edge of the village and nodded. "It's the only place they're actually guarding. I'm willing to bet they've never done this before."

"What, capture a survey team?" Brandt asked.

"Hold prisoners," McBay explained. "I've seen better handling from sword-wielding teenagers."

"Teenagers?"

"Before you ask, what happens in Utah stays in Utah."

Jansingh frowned. McBay had been assigned to SG-14 because, as a sniper in Special Tactics for two years, he knew how to assess situations on sight. She only had a vague idea of what his record looked like; she never got the chance to look closer at her team's qualifications after P3C-529. Her head told her to trust his judgment. It also said that McBay's criticism might be an indication that her view of the situation was not as straight-forward as the mission briefing.

Then it told her that they were in trouble, the conclusion reached when she was suddenly aware that someone else was standing behind her. She sighed and said, "Guys, put your weapons on the ground."

"Major?" Brandt asked. Then he spotted the problem out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, crap…"

"Move slow," one of the men behind them said. "My fingers are getting tired."

The three Air Force officers placed their guns on the ground and rose with Rush. They turned to find that they had been captured by a seven-man group, five of them holding drawn bows to their faces.

In the space of a minute, their guns and utility vests were collected, and the four off-worlders were led across the brook. They were taken to the hut that McBay had identified.

Inside, Jansingh was surprised to find iron bars dividing the hut in half. Even more surprising, three men and three women wearing clothes similar to Rush (save the tearing) sat on the other side of those bars. Two men armed with daggers stood on the inside of the cloth-covered doorway. Their eyes trained on the newcomers instantly, casually drawing their daggers.

One man in the capturing party tapped Doctor Rush on the shoulder. When the doctor turned, he asked, "Who is your leader?"

Rush's eyes wandered to Jansingh, prompting McBay to groan, "Thanks a lot, Doc."

Jansingh, attention switched from Rush to the young man. "I am. Major Magdalena Jansingh, United States Air Force."

The man turned to the guard on his left. "Put the rest behind the key," he said. "Chief Grius will want to speak with her." The guard nodded and stepped to the bars while removing a key from his pocket.

"Major Jansingh." Jansingh turned back to the cage. One man, a middle-aged, balding man, stood at the bars as far from the door as possible. "How did you find us?"

"Doctor Rush got an emergency signal through the Stargate," she answered as she watched Brandt, McBay, and Rush enter the cage.

The man eyed them for a moment before asking, "You've been captured, too?"

"It was amateur hour."

"That will be enough, Major," the young man said, drawing Jansingh's attention. "You are not to speak with them until you speak to Chief Grius. If you speak, your subordinate will be beaten as punishment. Is this understood?"

Jansingh glared at him. "Understood."

The door slammed shut behind her. "Stand here and face the exit." Jansingh moved to the spot the man indicated, about the middle of this half of the hut. "Keep your hands at your sides and don't signal your subordinates. If you move your hands, they will be broken." With that, he signaled his group to follow him back outside.

"So what now?" one of the women asked as Brandt sat next to her.

McBay glanced back at the guards. "Is it okay to talk?"

The standing scientist turned and nodded. "We can, but not to the Major."

"Who's this 'chief'?" McBay asked.

"As best as we understand," another woman said, "he's like a cross between a sheriff and a judge. But none of us have met him yet."

"Why not?"

"They were waiting until they caught Doctor Rush. Then we were supposed to determine who would speak to the chief on our behalf."

"Any volunteers?" Brandt asked.

"It _would_ have been Doctor Spade," one of the men said, indicating the standing captive. "But it looks like the major got the job instead."

"What happened to you?"

"Some kind of misunderstanding," Spade said. "We told the Addri elders that we intended to examine the old Goa'uld ruins. But when Doctor Jansen—" He indicated the man at the back of the cage who had yet to speak. "—stepped into an underground corridor, they popped out of nowhere and took everyone except Doctor Rush."

"I… h-had to relieve myself and stepped away from the site," Rush said. "I heard shouting, saw the Addri take the team away, and tried to find my way back to the Stargate."

"You guys were sent here two weeks ago," McBay pointed out. "How long have you been in here?"

"Six local days," the first woman answered. "We were exploring the naquadah mines first; that took about a week and a half."

"It's hard to tell Earth time here," Spade said. "They took all of our equipment and everything but our clothes."

"We've been kept here," Doctor Jansen added. "They've been pretty hospitable; they just won't let us leave."

"Will Earth send reinforcements?" Spade asked.

McBay shook his head. "We're out of touch with Earth. We don't know why yet."

"We came from the Alpha Site," Brandt added. "They picked up Rush's signal while they were trying to find the other teams stranded off-world."

"So… what, you're it?" Spade asked.

"Well, our fourth member has yet to show up," McBay pointed out.

"Special forces?" the second woman asked.

Brandt spat out a laugh before muzzling himself with his hands. "Geologist, actually," McBay said.

"Oh, great," Spade groaned. "So what now?"

"Anyone know any good lawyer jokes?"

Jansingh took the next few minutes to absorb the gist of the conversation while McBay told a number of groan-inducing jokes. Spade was right; it sounded like a simple misunderstanding. Maybe this was not a hostage situation after all. She thought this just might be this culture, the Addri's version of the justice system.

The leader of the capture party returned. But before he said anything, the guard on the right leaned over and whispered to him. His response was a cross look at Jansingh. She expected him to ask her a question.

Instead, he addressed the guard. "I have just awakened Chief Grius. There's no time for this." The guard nodded and returned to his position. The young man approached Jansingh. "Come with me."

Jansingh stepped outside with him and met two other men. One handed over the utility vest she had had to drop earlier. She took it, watched the man pull out his knife, and slipped the vest on. Then, to her surprise, the second man held out her 9-millimeter and her P90. She accepted these with some trepidation, wondering if they expected her to use them. She took the pistol first and checked the clip. Full. After placing it in its holster, she took the P90 and checked the magazine. The missing rounds accounted for the bullets she had used earlier, so she clipped it to the front of her vest.

Her escort took her to a large log cabin on the other side of the village. The inside reminded her of a courtroom. A dais opposite the entrance sported an empty, high-backed chair. An older woman sat in a booth just right of the entrance. She was surrounded by piles of rolled paper and looked to be busy scribbling on another sheet with a quill. Two more men stood on either side of a doorway on the left, one holding a bow while the other leaned on the head of a large, single-bit axe. Jansingh likened the axeman's grim expression to a man who stood by as an executioner.

The young man that had led her indicated a ring carved into the floor's wooden surface. "Stand there." Jansingh stepped inside the ring. "If you leave this ring without permission, you will be executed without question." He nodded to the man holding the bow. In response, the bowman positioned an arrow on the bow. Jansingh, in an attempt to make herself comfortable, unclipped the P90 and set it on the floor. The young man gave her a curious look and, when she met his eyes, nodded his approval. "We're ready!"

Jansingh caught movement in the corner of her eye. She turned as an old man wearing a blue cape over a silk gown stepped into the doorway. Although he sported stark-white hair, he walked to the dais with a brisk step. He looked healthy, but he also looked tired, and Jansingh figured that this was the man the capture party had to wake.

But instead of taking the chair, he folded his hands in front of him. "You appear to be a stranger to us," he said in a strong, graveled voice, "so I assure you that we will be as accommodating as possible. That said, you are going to conduct yourself according to our laws. Blatant refusal will result in your untimely execution. Is this understood, young woman?"

Jansingh folded her hands behind her back and answered in a voice that bounced off the ceiling, "Yes, sir!"

The old man looked surprised for a moment. "Good. I am Chief Grius. You've already met the leader of my enforcers, Treyus Lagga." He paused. "What's your name?"

"Major Magdalena Jansingh, United States Air Force Stargate Command team 14, nine-seven-one-zero-eight-four-two-seven-seven-ef- ar."

Grius gave her an even more bewildered look. "That's a long name," he remarked with a subtle laugh, wondering if that long string of numbers at the end was supposed to be part of her name. "Is there a shorter name you prefer?"

"If I may, Chief," Treyus spoke up. "I met with a member of SG-15. I believe that 'United States Air Force' refers to her group, and that 'Major' is her rank."

"And the numbers?" Grius asked.

Treyus opened his mouth but froze. "Ah… hmm… I don't know."

"I prefer 'Major Jansingh', Chief Grius," Jansingh said.

Grius nodded. "Are you aware of your subordinates' transgression?"

"I assume that they are being held for trespassing."

"Good." He finally sat down in the chair. "Give your explanation."

Jansingh frowned, glancing at Treyus. "Explanation?"

Treyus turned his back to Grius and whispered to her, "You are expected to explain why your subordinates violated our law."

She addressed Grius, "Chief. As I understood the situation, the survey team previously obtained permission to explore those ruins."

Grius shook his head. "No elder would condone violation of the law to satisfy your subordinates' curiosity."

"Doctor Spade claimed otherwise."

"You believe that he has told the truth?"

Jansingh halted herself from answering the affirmative. She remembered the briefing she had attended before SG-14's first mission. It had been an introduction concerning how to treat contact with local populations. It had not been particularly interesting to her, as Doctor Jackson seemed to have been pushing the need to respect the laws of other populations a little strong. However, she remembered that Doctor Jackson had warned against direct accusation when SGC personnel were put on trial. She had not had time to think that telling this man that his elders had given the team permission might be looked on as an accusation. So she spent some time finding an acceptable answer.

"I believe that a mistake has been made," she finally said.

Grius nodded. "Indeed it has."

"I was not present when the survey team made their request. Did one of your elders give permission to approach the grounds?"

"We do not object to people being on those grounds. We just do not permit people to enter the ruins."

Jansingh narrowed her eyes. "Was this distinction made clear to the team?"

"It is _always_ made clear. If it was known that they would visit the ruins, it would have been a warning."

Jansingh could tell where the conversation was going. There was no doubt the survey team had violated their law, whether accidentally or on purpose. They were going to receive whatever punishment was associated with the law. So she asked, "What will you do with them?"

"The punishment is hard labor for a year. They will take the place of our laborers and serve them to make up for their transgression."

Jansingh nodded her understanding. "I see. Allow me to be the first to apologize for this situation. I assure you that it is _not_ Stargate Command's mandate to violate the laws of others."

Then she heard paper crumbling nearby and turned. The older woman who had been writing had just finished balling up the paper and threw it out the open door near her, seemingly in annoyance. She turned back to Grius just as he stood. He gave her a nod and left through the doorway to her left.

"Major Jansingh," Treyus told her. "The inquiry has concluded. You may step out." She bent over and retrieved her P90. "We will release your subordinates back to your care. We shall also replace the Gateway's pedestal so that your may leave."

Her brow furrowed. "When you say my 'subordinates', who are you referring to?"

Treyus returned her frown. "All nine people we have behind the key," he said. "You were defending them all, weren't you?"

"Wait, they're _all_ free to go?" Treyus nodded. "What about the year of hard labor?"

"Only if you find it appropriate as their superior. Otherwise, this situation has been resolved."

Jansingh glanced around the room as if in search of an answer. "I don't understand. I was certain that the survey team, maybe even _my_ team, would be stuck here for a year."

"That was inevitable. Until you apologized."

"Until I… You mean the Chief is releasing us because I _apologized_?"

"You openly admitted their wrongdoings. And, as their leader, you are responsible for their actions. When you apologize, you show eagerness to make up for their actions. To Chief Grius, that is enough."

Jansingh's face circled for a moment as she considered whether she understood or not. "You're telling me that a criminal could get out of here if they simply apologize to Chief Grius?"

"If the crime is light enough," Treyus said with a nod.

"Treyus." Both he and Jansingh turned to the door as more of Treyus's men entered. Two entered side-by-side, one sporting a black eye. The next entered with one end of a log on his shoulder, and the following man carried the either end. Jansingh tried not to be surprised by the fact that Doctor Choi had been tied to the log by her hands and feet. Amusingly, Choi's silence had been achieved using a rag held in her mouth by a piece of rope. "We found this one sitting in front of the Gateway. We tried to talk to her, but she went mad and attacked us."

Jansingh turned to Treyus with a serious look on her face. "I don't suppose you'll want to sentence _her_ to hard labor for a year."

Choi's eyes widened.


End file.
